JC Penny Caught Link Buying – Unethical?

The New York Times was the first to break the story about the dirty secret of search, that included JCPenny.com acquiring backlinks en-mass to help boost their ranking in Google.com.

It seems (according to the article), that the internet seems to be littered with abandoned pages that link back to JCPenny.com. The article cites examples of pages about cameras, dogs, diamond drills, bathroom tiles, and dentist . . . of course the full list is much more massive.

But the real question is this . . . is what they are doing ethical?

Google search works based on an algorithm that includes many factors of a web site such as domain age, content, and of course . . . backlinks. Google has gone around the internet preaching what is considered ethical SEO and what is not, thus creating a great divide inside of the search engine marketing arena.

Why would Google claim building backlinks is unethical?

How did the idea of paying someone for a backlink on their website make the purchaser seem slightly criminal?

In short because the Google search algorithm relies so heavily on how backlinks are factored into deciding which website ranks in any given position for certain keywords. And of course, Google does NOT like to be manipulated.

“When did it become unethical for a website/blog owner to monetize their property?” That is the question that everyone should be asking.

Another question is “Why should we rely solely upon Google to decide the fate of so many businesses?”

So let’s play the devil’s advocate for a moment. . . If you were being manipulated would you like it? Of course not! So, while I respect Google’s position on this I am very much against the demonizing of those who choose to either sell backlinks or buy backlinks to help them make more money online.

It really is not about what is ethical or unethical . . .

Remember, the one who frames the question wins the argument and Google has done an amazing job at framing the question of backlinks, thus they will win . . .